What Happened to Common Sense?

When Thomas Paine wrote his book “Common Sense,” no one disputed what common sense actually meant. While some may have objected to Paine’s application of some common sense to political actions, no one argued that his actions were common sense. The argument at the time was, much like it is now, that common sense must be put aside for a ‘greater good.’

Unfortunately for modern times, when we say ‘common sense,’ it seems pretty clear that a large portion of the American people no longer understands what it means. Here are some examples:

And I’m sure you could add many, many, many more. They turn up weekly in the local newspaper.

There can be no political discussion of “common sense legislation” because we have strayed so far from a common understanding of practical application of practical actions to practical matters, that we have to relearn entirely what common sense is.